Poker Movies - Poker Reviews and Quotes about Poker Films

Poker-Themed Reviews of Poker Movies

The following thirteen poker movie reviews have been specially chosen because they have cleverly used poker speak and poker references to sum up their reaction to the film.

A. ALL IN (2005)
"Then there's a movie called All In, featuring Louis Gossett Jr. It had a premiere in Beverly Hills a couple of years ago. I saw it, and don't expect that it will be in theatres anytime soon … if ever. The plot centres around a young woman named ‘Ace’ who plays poker to pay her way through medical school. I can just see it now. She is taking her medical exams, and one of the questions is: “You are examining an elderly man whose face is flushed and who is having trouble breathing. What hand would you put him on?"
Max Shapiro in Card Player magazine (2007)


2. CASINO ROYALE (2006)
"If you go do to see Casino Royale this week, pay no attention to the poker game, but if like me you are also a big Bond fan it's still worth seeing. There's a torture scene that will make it hard for any grown man not to leave the cinema walking like John Wayne. Bond ends up holding the nuts, in more ways than one."
Nicky O'Donnell on UK.Pokernews.com (2006)


3. THE CINCINNATI KID (1965)
"By the time all the bets are in, Cincinnati Kid appears to hold a losing hand."
Time magazine (1965)


4. DEAL (2008)
"Deal, aka The Colour of Money with cards instead of cue balls. Fascination with Texas Hold ‘em and other poker variations will likely bolster B.O., though more discriminating auds may choose to pass. Or fold."
John Anderson in Variety (2008)

5. FINDER’S FEE (2001)
"Watching other people play poker is boring at the best of times, but when one of them is Matthew Lillard, seemingly playing the same annoying guy as in Scream, it’s more painful than watching amateur snooker in slow motion. The film’s only saving grace is James Earl Jones, who somehow manages to convince us of some sense of coherence, while all around him is wholly unbelievable. That is until the end, when a final twist is employed, and the script finally admits deceit and caves in like a house of rigged playing cards."
Nick Jones on EyeForFilm.co.uk


6. THE GOOD THIEF (2003)
"A casino heist movie so smooth and satisfying it makes the similar Ocean’s Eleven look like a game of Three-Card Monte."
Lou Lumenick in The New York Post (2003)


7. HIGH ROLLER aka STUEY (2003)
"As a movie, alas, High Roller ain’t much. For poker fans, I’ll put it in terms you can understand: Think of it as sitting on a Jack-eight. Off suit."
Christopher Null on FilmCritic.com (2005)


8. LUCKY YOU (2007)
"After several delayed release dates, Warner Bros. finally lays down its cards with Lucky You, and it’s a weak hand."
Brian Lowrey in Variety (2007)

9. MAVERICK (1994)
"Jodie Foster, who throws herself into this flirty role, makes Miss Kitty look like an old sourpuss, and whether it’s Five-Card Stud or a studly card player, she knows when to Hold ‘em and when to walk away."
Rita Kempley in The Washington Post (1994)


10. OCEAN’S ELEVEN (2001)
"Vegas remake holds less than a full house."
Steve Schneider in The Orlando Weekly (2001)


J. ROUNDERS (1998)
"Everything in Rounders is right there on the surface. Watching it is as exciting as playing poker with all the cards face up."
David Ansen in Newsweek (1998)


Q. SHADE (2003)
"Card sharks and grifters look like the stuff of an engrossing movie in Shade, but, in the end, under-realized direction and characters deliver less than a full deck."
Robert Koehler in Variety (2004)


K. WILD BILL (1995)
"20 minutes in, writer-director Walter Hill puts his cards on the table. It’s a dead man’s hand."
Mick LaSalle in The San Francisco Chronicle (1995)


If you have any similar poker-themed poker movie reviews, please share them with us in the comments boxes below.

Colin M Jarman
The Quotable Poker Player